LOT 384

1931 Ariel 557cc Special Registration no. 412 YUS Frame no. D3235 Engine no. D168

Sold for £4,025 inc. premium

Lot 384

1931 Ariel 557cc Special

The Spring Stafford Sale - The International Classic MotorCycle Show|27 April 2025, 11:00 BST|Stafford, Staffordshire County Showground

1931 Ariel 557cc Special
Registration no. 412 YUS
Frame no. D3235
Engine no. D168

Ariel's design department was blessed with a surfeit of talent as the Selly Oak firm entered the 1930s, Chief Designer Val Page having under his wing both Edward Turner and Bert Hopwood, the latter being then engaged in helping Turner with his projected Square Four. Perhaps not surprisingly then, the company's range for 1931 encompassed a dazzling variety of models: vertical engines, sloping engines, sidevalves, overhead valves - the latter either two or four per cylinder - all were represented along with the revolutionary Four. Two of the 'Slopers' - the overhead-valve 499cc Model SF31 and the sidevalve 557cc Model SB31 - employed engines inclined at 30 degrees from the horizontal, the unorthodox layout conveying the benefits of a lowered centre of gravity for improved handling, better cooling, and greater accessibility. Sadly, the models did not last long, the economic recession and Ariel's own sorry financial plight seeing the range slimmed down at the Slopers' expense for 1933.

This unique Ariel sidevalve was purchased as a dismantled project by the current vendor and put together over a number of years, painted purple as a reference to the Yamaha Cadbury's Boost superbike race team. The machine has been used on rallies in the UK, but not much history is known prior to the current vendors ownership. Offered with a V5C and history file.
Key not required

Footnotes

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Please see the Auction Information and Guide for Buyers at the top of the main sale page, for bidders' obligations. The Spring Stafford Sale

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This Lot will be auctioned on Sunday 27 April, with the auction starting at 11am GMT.

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